


we're breaking free

by TeamSwipsy



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Bokuaka - Freeform, High School Musical - Freeform, M/M, high school setting, it's high school musical but with bokuaka, not a straight up rip off but i was reading from the script while writing it, slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:54:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23365021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeamSwipsy/pseuds/TeamSwipsy
Summary: A popular high school athlete and an academically gifted girl get roles in the school musical and develop a friendship that threatens East High's social order.It's High School Musical but with bokuaka :)
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Comments: 3
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hello hellooooo and welcome to another bokuaka fic! this was such a blast to write and i've had 'get your head in the game' stuck in my head for weeks now :)
> 
> new chapters on fridays!!

_The King turned slowly on his dais, spinning so that his cold, lifeless eyes fell upon his. "You want to see true power?" His steel-like voice echoed around the room, ringing in the high ceilings. The King scoffed. "You know nothing of my true power." His scepter lifted into the air, with one strike he brought down--_

"Keiji!"

Akaashi started, almost knocking a pillow off the couch he was sitting on. Blinking quickly, he looked up to see his mother standing in front of him, frowning. She pulled the book out of his hands, looking down at him with a stern expression. With a sigh, she started, "Keiji, honestly. It's New Years Eve. Enough reading."

Akaashi's gaze drifted from his mother's face down to his book longingly. "I was almost done--"

Mrs. Akaashi lifted a single eyebrow, absolutely mirroring her son's expression. "Have you forgotten about the party?" Akaashi blinked at her, and the frown deepened. "The teen party, down in the lodge? Keiji, for goodness' sakes, get going. I've laid out your best clothes, go and get ready."

All at once, Akaashi remembered. The party, of course. In exchange for his mother letting him stay up to read all vacation, he had promised he'd go to a 'Teen Activity' the resort they were staying in was hosting. And not just any activity, but the big Teen New Years Eve Party. He held back a bitter sigh, keeping it to a remorseful look as he looked back up to his mother. "Can I have my book back, at least?"

She leveled him with a look. "You promise you won't read during the party?"

Akaashi bit back a groan. "Yes, I promise." She watched him for another second, then handed the book to him. She put an arm around his shoulders, pulling him back towards his bedroom. 

"It'll be fun, I promise. You can't spend your whole life just reading, Keiji. Believe, if you could, I would have."

**\- - -**

Shoes squeaked against the hardwood floors, echoing off the cement walls and high ceilings of the gymnasium at the lodge. A middle-aged man grinned down at his son, shirt soaked through with sweat.

"Come on, Kou, stop leaning to your left. They'll keep aiming it that way if you give it to them, and we can't have that happening in the championship game!"

The younger boy looked back, one silver eyebrow arching up conspiratorially as he stared back at his father. He rearranged his feet carefully, then asked, "Like this?"

The man grinned back. "Just like that." He tossed the ball up, spiking it hard at his son. Bokuto dove to his left, getting there with enough time to send a perfect pass right back up to his father, who cheered.

"Yeah! That's it! Ain't nothin' getting past you!"

A throat cleared, and the two looked over to the doorway where Bokuto's mother stood, hands on her hips. "Figures I'd find you two in here."

Bokuto and his father glanced at each other, then both shrugged and turned back to look at her. Bokuto asked, "What else would we be doing?"

She lifted an eyebrow. "At a ski lodge in Colorado? No idea." Mr. Bokuto nodded in agreeance, and she shook her head, looking back to her son. "It's the last night here! There's the party, remember? For New Years? Koutarou, there's the kids party down where they had those jazzercise classes!"

Bokuto looked at her warily. "Kids party?"

She rolled her eyes. "Teens. Young adults. Now, go! Get a shower! Can't have you running around stinking the place up."

Bokuto sighed, picking up the volleyball that had been rolling across the floor. "One more pepper?" Mrs. Bokuto narrowed her eyes, and Bokuto grinned. "Just one more hit! Just one!" His father nodded again, and she held her hands up in defeat.

"Forgive me for forgetting I lived with two sports nuts. Go ahead, then come right up. Both of you." She pointed at her husband, then turned and walked back out into the hallway. Bokuto grinned, turning to his dad and setting him up. His father spiked it down, and just as before, Bokuto received it perfectly. His father cheered once more, tossing the ball to him before giving him a high five.

"There we go! That's what I want to see in the game."

**\- - -**

When Akaashi entered the large gym classroom that had been redone for the party, the first thing he noticed was the noise. With so many teens cramped into one room, it was almost deafening as they all tried to be heard speaking over the loud music. He bit back a scowl, keeping it to a small frown as he made his way through the crowd. Idly, he noticed that the music was in fact a karaoke machine and not just some playlist. 

Perfect.

Akaashi smiled awkwardly back at a girl who winked at him, maneuvering around the worst of the crowd to find an unoccupied corner. After another quick glance to make sure his mother didn't have spies anywhere, he pulled his book out of the waistband of his pants, leaning against the wall. While it wasn't his preferred place to read, it certainly beat not reading at all. Now, he could finally figure out what that King was up to. Ignoring the announcer-like voice in the background saying something about finding volunteers for the next song, he flipped to the page where he had left off.

_The King scoffed. "You know nothing of my true power." His scepter lifted into the air, with one strike he brought down--_

Blinding light hit him directly in the face.

Akaashi squinted, looking up and around. Who had turned the lights on in the room? Then he realized the music had paused, and a sudden cheering began. Slowly, his eyes adjusted, and it dawned on him that he had a spotlight on him.

Oh no.

"Ayyyy there we go! Volunteers one and two, come on up here!"

Akaashi blinked. He most certainly had not volunteered for anything. A hand gripped his shoulder, pushing him forward, and across the room, he heard more cheering and shouting. The people around him slowly propelled him towards the stage, and he gripped his book tightly, trying to make his feet go in the opposite direction. Volunteer for what? What was happening? Where were they taking him?

His feet hit the edge of the stage, and cold fear gripped his throat. Absolutely not, no way, he did not sing, this was some sort of joke, he was not going up on stage--

He was going up on stage. The host took his hand and pulled him up, a lazy smile stretching across their face. They were tall, with dark curly hair not unlike his own, but Akaashi couldn't help but frown at his kind face. 

"I don't sing," Akaashi told him shortly, and the host shrugged.

"Can anyone that does karaoke really sing?"

Akaashi stared at him, and then the second volunteer was also being pushed up onto stage, although he climbed up much less gracefully than Akaashi had. The host said something to him about holding his book for him, and Akaashi numbly tucked the book back into his waistband and watched in horror to find out what unlucky human being had been stuck with him for karaoke.

The first thing he noticed was his hair. How hair could be so upright and so rebelliously silver didn't seem possible, and for a second, he wondered if he was hallucinating some sort of scene from his book. Then the golden eyes blinked at him, just as wide as his own felt, and a warm smile split the face in front of him.

"Uh, hey," they offered awkwardly, yanking on the sleeve of their suit jacket. Akaashi noticed they had thrown the jacket on over jeans and a t-shirt, probably in some sort of attempt to look nice but casually so. Well, it wasn't like his own sweater and pants had required more effort, but he could admire the way the jacket sat on the other boy's shoulders. It fit his form well. 

The host clamped a hand down on both their shoulders, startling Akaashi out of his staredown. He grinned at both of his freshly chosen sacrifices, lowering his voice so the microphones in front of them wouldn't pick him up. "Hey, you know what?" He looked from the other back to Akaashi. "Someday...someday, you might thank me for this."

Akaashi's eyebrows dropped. "Doubtful."

The other boy snorted loudly, quickly covering up his mouth as an embarrassed flush spread across his face. Akaashi looked at him as the host moved away, and with another sheepish smile, the boy offered his hand.

"I'm Bokuto."

Akaashi hesitated, then took it, shaking it quickly. "Akaashi. I'm sorry you'll have to put up with my horrible singing."

The boy--Bokuto--simply shrugged, posture now more relaxed as he took his hand back. "As long as you don't mind my terrible singing, I think we'll be okay! And hey, if you get nervous, just look at me and I'll dance for you or something." The music started, and after shooting him a thumbs up, Bokuto turned and looked at the screen where the words would appear.

Akaashi watched him, and wondered if karaoke was really so terrible after all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for those who have asked, yes! this has been previously published! however, i (chimi) am the original author, and we're just merging our old works onto one account so it's easier for everyone to access everything we've written :) enjoy chapter two!

Bokuto turned around, proudly offering a large mug of hot chocolate. "Here you go! I told them to put extra whipped cream on yours. You look like you like extra whipped cream."

"Thank you," Akaashi muttered, taking the mug and wondering if that was a compliment or not. Considering he did in fact like extra whipped cream, it was factual. Bokuto quickly grabbed his own before leading the way out of the club room and towards an outdoor balcony. With their jackets and hot chocolate, the chill was barely noticeable, but Akaashi still kept his hands wrapped tightly around his mug.

"So, you're seriously not a professional singer or something?" Bokuto asked once again, setting his mug heavily on the table after taking a large gulp. From the way he was breathing with his mouth open, Akaashi was willing to bet he had burnt his tongue. It was more endearing than anything else, and he looked down at his cup to save himself from smiling like a goon.

"I sang in a church choir when I was younger, but nothing more." He shrugged. "They asked me to do a solo once and I nearly fainted."

Bokuto's jaw dropped open, this time not from the hot chocolate. "Seriously? Why?"

"I'm not much for attention," Akaashi answered honestly. "I've never liked being in front of crowds. I was ten at the time. I took one look at the people in front of me, and the next thing I knew, I was staring at the ceiling."

Bokuto laughed in a way that could only be described as a guffaw, and Akaashi looked up, expecting to find him laughing at him. Instead, it looked like he barely believed Akaashi's story. Sure enough, he followed up with, "I never would have guessed! You were like, super good out there tonight."

Akaashi watched the way his golden eyes reflected the warm lighting from inside of the lodge. "Well, that was the first time I've ever done something like that. It was…" He searched for a word, but all he could come up with was, "Super cool. That was so cool."

"It was!" Bokuto set his mug back down, nodding aggressively. "It was so super cool!"

He smirked at the way Bokuto was grinning, asking, "Well, what about you? You certainly didn't sound like any ameteur out there."

He grinned in response. "Oh yeah, totally. You're looking at a professional shower singer right here, 'Kaashi. Number one in the tri-state area!" He flexed, an awkward motion in the suit jacket, but Akaashi found himself grinning nonetheless. Bokuto laughed with him, and in the pause of conversation, he finally heard the crowd behind them.

"10!...9!...8!"

Akaashi's eyes widened. Bokuto, who hadn't seemed to notice yet, looked down at Akaashi's mug. "What's up? Too much whipped cream? Is it the not good spray stuff?"

"7!...6!...5!"

"No, not the whipped cream," Akaashi interrupted him quietly. Were they supposed to kiss? That was what people did on New Years, correct? When the ball dropped, people kissed the person they liked. That was what all his friends did. Was he supposed to kiss this complete stranger?

Bokuto stared at him, confused, then his eyes opened comically wide. "Oh, the ball's dropping!"

"4!...3!..."

Well, it's not like he wasn't attractive. Akaashi had noticed right away that the boy he had sang with, while definitely atypical looking, was rather cute. Even if his hair was defying gravity, he couldn't deny that his smile had a certain charm about it.

"2!...1!"

Bokuto looked dumbly at Akaashi as the crowd erupted around them. Instead of lunging at each other the way so many other teenagers were all over the lodge, they watched each other, both of them quiet. Akaashi almost frowned. Why didn't he just do it? Why couldn't he kiss a stranger? Sure, it was something Komi would have done back home, the absolute madman, but Akaashi could be crazy, too. _Keiji Akaashi could do something wild!_

Bokuto swallowed. "Um, do we--"

"I should go find my mom."

Bokuto blinked, and Akaashi could have kicked himself. He sighed internally, looking down at his barely touched hot chocolate. "My mother. I should go find her and wish her a happy New Year."

"Oh."

Akaashi flinched slightly at the tone, but soon, the table was shaking with how hard Bokuto was nodding. "Same! Same, I should, too. I mean, not your mom." Akaashi glanced up through his lashes and spotted Bokuto blushing slightly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, yeah, tell your mom I say happy New Year! But, uh, I should go find my own mom. And dad. Both of them. Um." He cleared his throat, looking at Akaashi hopefully. "I can call you tomorrow, though?"

The shock of the implication hit Akaashi like a brick to the chest. "You don't have my number."

Bokuto physically drooped. "Oh. Right." He looked forlornly at the table, and Akaashi realized that he wanted Bokuto to call him. Sure, he'd most likely never see him again, but he'd had a surprising amount of fun tonight. Quickly, he fished his phone out of his pocket and unlocked it, sliding it across the table and into Bokuto's line of sight. The other boy's eyes widened, looking up at Akaashi in surprise.

He gestured to the phone. "Put your number in."

Instantly, his golden eyes lit up, and Akaashi almost laughed at how Bokuto practically threw his own phone at him. "You too! Put your number in my phone! Wait, let me--" Bokuto cut himself off, quickly lifting up Akaashi's phone and smiling goofily at it. After typing, he handed it back to Akaashi, grinning. "So you don't forget what I look like."

Akaashi looked down at the screen to see that in addition to adding his name _(Bokuto the Amazing Singer!!!!!!!!)_ and his number (a strange area code Akaashi didn't recognize), he had also added a selfie of himself.

"You too!" Bokuto took back his phone from Akaashi, angling the camera at him. "Smile!" Akaashi barely had time to even register what was happening, but Bokuto apparently liked the picture. "That's the face you made when you got up on stage! It's perfect! Your name could use some more emojis though." 

Akaashi looked down once more at the entry in his phone, grinning to himself as he turned and walked back to his room. As he unlocked the door, he realized that he hadn't read any of his book tonight.

"How was the party?" his mother asked when she returned thirty minutes later. Akaashi looked up from his phone, a small smile on his lips.

"Actually...a lot of fun." He looked back to the screen, double tapping to go back to the contacts page, like he had so many times more that night. Bokuto's stupid grin smiled back up at him, a spot of whipped cream still on his upper lip. "Really fun."

****

\- - -

Bokuto finished picking out the perfect emojis for Akaashi (a microphone, the heart eyes smile, the coffee cup that he could pretend was hot chocolate) and grinned down at his screen. "I don't know if I told you this earlier, but we mostly came here because my mom had a business meeting. And my dad and I played a lot of volleyball, and don't get me wrong, I love volleyball, but this? Tonight was the most fun I've had on this trip. Tonight was the best, 'Kaash." He looked up. "Where do you li--"

Bokuto blinked.

"Akaashi?" Bokuto looked around, trying to see through the few people still wandering around. Despite triple checking, Akaashi seemed to have disappeared. He frowned, looking from the half-drunk hot chocolate back to his phone.

He pulled up the picture of Akaashi, studying it again. It was dim, even with the flash, Akaashi's face mostly lit up by the light coming through the lodge windows. There were snowflakes in his hair, a flush to his cheeks, and even though his eyes were dark, they shone through the confusion of the expression and seemed almost alive.

Bokuto thought he was beautiful. 

"Akaashi," he whispered to himself. 

The name felt right on his lips.


	3. Chapter 3

The first day back from winter break had always been crazy. Even when they were in elementary school, everyone ran around like they hadn't seen each other in years, screaming and shouting and greeting their friends. Bokuto watched everyone with a grin, saying hi back to the few he passed as he got off the school bus. He took a deep breath of the fresh air and was immediately greeted by a loud shout from someone he knew very well.

"Bokuto!"

Bokuto opened his eyes in time to see the volleyball flying at his face. He caught it just in time, but because of it, couldn't dodge the hug that almost knocked him to the ground.

"How's my best bro doing?"

Bokuto laughed, ruffling one hand in the already messy black hair. "Better than you, Kuroo!" He glanced up to see a few more of their teammates coming at him. "Hey hey hey! Happy New Year!"

Kuroo pulled out from Bokuto's noogie but still kept an arm around him. "Yeah, a happy Wildcat year!" Their teammates cheered, and Kuroo continued grinning as he led the way inside. "In just two short, short weeks, we're going to the championships with you leading us to infinity and beyond!"

Bokuto grinned at him. "Like Toy Story?"

Kuroo smiled back. "Just like Toy Story."

Behind them, their team started up the usual chant. "What team? Wildcats! What team? Wildcats!"

Bokuto shouted along with them, twisting sideways so that he and Kuroo could both fit through the doorway while still attached. Kuroo tripped on someone's shoelace, then dodged neatly as someone cleared their throat.

"Move aside, meatheads!"

Two tall boys cleared a path by simply walking through and allowing the crowd to part. Someone let out a whistle, and from Bokuto's left, Iwaizumi scowled. "Looks like the ice queen has returned from the North Pole."

Kuroo snorted, leaning more heavily on Bokuto's shoulder as he righted himself. "Yeah, he probably spent the holidays how he always does."

Bokuto blinked at him. "How's that?"

Kuroo's eyes narrowed under his bangs, much in the way they did when he was about to get a good block in the middle of a game. "With his fangirls, shopping for mirrors." The team began shouting behind them, laughing loudly as Kuroo led them down a hallway lined with lockers. 

Across the hall, in front of the dean's office, Mrs. Akaashi followed her son and the principal towards the English wing. Akaashi had paid attention well enough when the principal was talking, but now, out in the hallway with so many people around, he was starting to feel a little queasy. Being the new kid was never easy, and as someone who hated being the center of attention, it was even worse as he had gotten older.

"Keiji? You alright?" Principal Takeda asked, pushing his glasses back up his nose.

Akaashi glanced at his mother. "It's my stomach, it's nothing major."

His mother put an arm around him. "Oh, it's always bad on the first day of school. Don't worry, sweetheart, you'll do great. You always do! And don't forget my promise I made that I can't be transferred again until you graduate."

Principal Takeda smiled politely at both of them. "I was the one who got to review your transcripts. You're very impressive, Akaashi. I expect your light will shine very brightly here at East High."

Akaashi almost doubled over. Slightly panicky, he turned to look at his mom. "I refuse to be the school's 'freak genius boy' again."

As always, his mother was the calming presence he needed. She took his face in her hands, smiling down at him. "Then just be Keiji." She kissed him on the forehead. "You don't need to be anything more than that." Akaashi nodded, taking a deep breath. With another welcoming smile, Takeda gestured to the left, and they followed him down the hallway.

**\- - -**

Bokuto and Kuroo slid into homeroom amidst more shouts from their friends, earning a stern look from Coach Nekomata. Bokuto had been here since he started high school, and he still had no idea why people called him coach. He didn't coach any of the sports teams. He was, however, in charge of the theater department, and Bokuto wondered if that was why. Was acting like a sport?

"Bokuto!" Daichi, another member of the team, waved from the back of the classroom. Ignoring the rest of the students coming in the doorway behind him, Bokuto waved back eagerly, sitting down noisily in the seat.

"Daichi! how was your break?"

Daichi smiled back, instantly relaxing Bokuto. While the rest of the team could be obnoxious and loud, Daichi was always a solid presence. Bokuto may be the ace, but Daichi was captain for a reason. "Pretty uneventful! My grandma was staying with us, so it was mostly puzzles and old movies."

"Puzzles can be exciting," Kuroo grinned at Daichi, also taking his seat, and Daichi frowned at him.

"Not those kind of puzzles, Kuroo."

Bokuto didn't have any idea what puzzles they were talking about, but he knew movies. "Which old movies? My mom loves that Arnold Schwarzhiggy one."

"Schwarzenegger, Bokuto."

"Whatever. The one with the toy he has to get. That one was crazy, I remember when I was little I loved the part where he…" Bokuto's voice dropped away, brows furrowing as he watched someone walk by him. That dark hair...where had he seen it before? He was sure it wasn't someone that went to their school, but he definitely knew it. Kuroo saw who he was staring at and let out a low whistle.

"Damn, who's that?"

Bokuto leaned up in his seat to get a better look, but before he could see anything, a head of artfully disheveled brown hair was right in front of him. Bokuto blinked quickly, pulling back to see Oikawa smiling at him, eyes practically sparkling. How did he do that? Couldn't only Disney princesses and anime girls do that?

"Hey heyyy, Bokuto," he sang, waving his fingers. "How was your break?"

Bokuto glanced away again, trying to see around Oikawa to find the person with dark hair. "Hi."

The bell rang, signaling the start of class, but Bokuto ignored it, hoping when everyone sat down he'd be able to finally figure out who he knew but didn't know he knew. Or did he know he knew them?

"--Mr. Bokuto."

Bokuto's head whipped around, barely hearing Daichi's repressed sigh beside him. "Huh?"

Coach Nekomata stood at the front of the class, smiling blithely. "I said I trust that you all had splendid holidays. Did you happen to have a skiing accident that affects your rear, Bokuto?"

Bokuto frowned at him. "What? No?"

Coach Nekomata's smile widened. "Then sit down." Bokuto sat quickly into his seat, tips of his ears burning. Slowly, he felt Kuroo lean forward on his desk.

"You good, bro?" he whispered, and Bokuto nodded, not wanting to turn around and get yelled at again. He did, however, finally realize where he had seen that dark head of hair before. Subtly, he slid his phone out of his pocket, pulling up a contact he had completely forgotten about.

 _Keiji Akaashi._

Bokuto stared down at the phone, shocked. What the hell was Akaashi doing in his school?

"Sign up sheets for new activities has been posted in the lobby," Nekomata continued. "I encourage you all to check them out, especially our winter musicale. We will have singles auditions for our supporting roles and pairs auditions for our two leads."

Kuroo snorted, not very quietly, and instantly, Coach Nekomata's eyes focused on him. 

"This is a place of learning, Mr. Kuroo, not the volleyball court, and I would appreciate it if you would treat it as such." Kuroo sank lower in his seat, shooting a look at Daichi, who was glaring at him. After clearing his throat, Nekomata finished by adding, "There is also a final sign-up sheet for next week's scholastic decathalon competition. Chemistry club president Kozume Kenma can answer all of your questions about that if you can get him to stop staring at something he should not be looking at during school hours."

Kenma jolted from his seat at the back of the class, earning a smirk from Kuroo and a couple laughs from everyone else as he tried to subtly hide his DS in his jacket pocket. Thinking this was a perfect time for distraction, Bokuto pressed Akaashi's number and watched as his phone started calling him.

Oh god Bokuto was calling Akaashi.

_Why was he calling Akaashi._

A ringtone went off from a few desks away, Bokuto whipped around, eyes wide. Coach Nekomata sighed, retrieving something from his desk. "Ah, I see the cell phone menace has returned to our crucible of learning." Bokuto could barely see a head of dark hair duck down to start searching through a bag as the phone continued ringing.

_No way no way no way no way no way--_

Oikawa turned around, glaring at his step brother. "Is it our audition line phone?" He held up his own. "It's not mine, and that's not your ringtone." Ushijima turned to pull out a third phone from his pocket, then both of them flinched as Nekomata descended upon them.

"Oikawa, Ushijima, cell phones." They both frowned--although Bokuto was pretty sure that was Ushijima's default expression--and with a look of injustice, Oikawa dumped all five of their phones into the bucket. Nekomata smiled down at them. "I'll see you in detention."

"Detention?!" Oikawa tried to argue, but Nekomata was already moving on towards the desk a few places away. Bokuto watched, breath stuck in his throat, as Nekomata presented the bucket.

"We have a zero tolerance policy for cell phones in our class, so we will get to know each other and our other rules very well in detention." The person deposited their phone in the bucket, and Nekomata leaned in with a grin. "And welcome to East High, Mr. Akaashi."

Bokuto's heart, which had previously been frozen, instantly began beating a million miles an hour. It was Akaashi! Akaashi was here! In his school! Akaashi was in his school! Why was he in his school? Why was Akaashi in New Mexico at all? Did he follow him? Was he some sort of private eye? Was Bokuto under investigation? Was Akaashi undercover? Was it like 21 Jump Street? Did he--

"Ah, and I see your phone is involved, Bokuto!" Nekomata's voice made him jump, and Bokuto dumbly tried to hide his phone behind his back. Unrelenting, Nekomata presented the bucket. "So we will see you in detention as well."

Kuroo instantly sat up, ignoring Daichi's frantic waves to shut the fuck up. "That's not even a possibility, Coach Nekomata." One look had him clearing his throat and ducking his head. "I mean, Your honor. See, because, we have volleyball practice, and Bokuto needs--"

Nekomata interrupted, slinging the bucket over his shoulder nonchalantly. "That'll be 15 minutes for you, Kuroo. Count 'em."

Across the room, Kenma snorted, obviously still bothered by being called out. "That'll be tough, considering he probably can't count that high."

Daichi's mouth dropped open, and Kuroo spun around to glare at him. Bokuto winced, momentarily distracted from his panic mode. So Kenma and Kuroo obviously weren't over their fight yet.

"Kenma, 15 minutes."

Kenma froze, eyes wide. Nekomata spun in a slow circle, watching everyone with a mild glee. "Shall the carnage continue? Holidays are now over, my students. Way over!" Everyone grew silent, and Nekomata looked around. "Now, any more comments and questions for this blessedly short homeroom period?"

Everything was quiet, and then slowly, almost timidly, Ushijima raised his hand.

Nekomata gestured at him, and he cleared his throat. "How were your holidays, Coach Nekomata?"

Kuroo's head hit his desk, Oikawa smacked himself in the face, and even Daichi let out a little groan. Ushijima looked around, confused. "What?" Thankfully, the bell rang, and Oikawa practically dragged him out of the room. Bokuto, mind still spinning, followed the crowd, toying with his backpack strap as he paused outside of the room. While it wasn't the worst homeroom he had ever had, it was definitely the biggest emotional rollercoaster he'd ever been on this early in the day. 

Kuroo punched him on the shoulder, obviously noticing his expression. "Sorry, bro. At least we'll suffer in detention together."

Daichi sighed, "Nekomata has no idea what he's getting himself into with both of you there." The two of them waved, moving on down the hallway while Bokuto hung back. It was a wild chance, but surely there couldn't be two Akaashis with curly dark hair. Bokuto was terrible at math, and even he knew the odds of that were slim. It had to be Akaashi, his Akaashi. Well, not his, but close enough.

Dark hair flashed in front of his face, startling him once more, and Bokuto lunged forward, grabbing the other boy by the shoulder. "Hey!" He smiled, watching as Akaashi-- _his Akaashi_ \--turned around and looked at him, surprise lighting up his face. "Wow, it really is you!"

Akaashi stared at him, then slowly, his face relaxed into something vaguely resembling a hint of a smile. "I don't believe it."

"Me neither!" Bokuto's smile was so wide he felt like it was going to split his face in half. "I ran around all the next day looking for you! I didn't find you but now I did! In my school! How are you in my school?"

Akaashi gave him a strange look. "My mother's company transferred her here to Albuquerque. And I'm sorry, but I had to leave first thing the next morning."

"It's fine!" Bokuto shook his head. "It's totally fine! I just can't believe you're here!"

Akaashi continued giving him the same look. "Why are you whispering?"

"Huh?" Bokuto blinked, then straightened up, taking his hand off of Akaashi's shoulder. "Oh! Sorry!" Akaashi smirked, then turned and continued walking down the hallway as Bokuto kept talking. "I dunno. I, uh, my friends know I went snowboarding and stuff, but they don't really know about the--well, the singing part."

Akaashi lifted a single eyebrow. "Why, too much for them to handle?"

"Not at all!" Bokuto shook his head, struggling to keep up with Akaashi in the crowded hallways. "But you know, you know how friends are. It's, well, it's not really what I usually do on vacations? That was, like, a totally different person."

Akaashi turned into the main hallway, and Bokuto jumped, hurrying to keep up. Wow, Akaashi was a fast walker. "So! Anyways, welcome to my school!" He glanced around, trying to think of something he could show off to Akaashi, to impress him, and saw the bulletin board. "Oh, hey!" Akaashi glanced at him, and he pointed quickly. "Now that Nekomata talked about it so much, I bet you can't wait to sign up for the musical!"

Akaashi slowed down, looking at the board. Bokuto watched him study it, watched the way his lips barely twitched into a smile. While he had noticed Akaashi wasn't exactly big on expressions at the lodge, he was still just as subtle here at school, but there were little tells. It was like watching to see where someone was going to serve. You just had to pay attention.

"Yes, well. I won't be signing up for anything for a while." Akaashi looked back to Bokuto. "I'd like to get to know the school first, get my bearings. However, if you signed up, I'd consider coming to watch."

Bokuto let out a loud laugh. "Ha! Yeah, no, that's completely impossible."

A locker slammed into the wall in front of them, and Bokuto jumped backwards, watching with wide eyes as Oikawa leaned on the door he had just shoved open, probably for dramatic effect. Oikawa smiled slyly at him, voice as honeyed as it was earlier today. "What's impossible, Bokuto? I wouldn't think impossible is even in your vocabulary." He glanced sideways and finally noticed Akaashi, who had taken up frowning directly next to Bokuto. Oikawa's smile barely faltered, but he simpered back at Bokuto, "How nice of you to show the new kid around."

With a flourish, Oikawa pulled a purple gel pen from his pocket and scribbled his 'signature' across the sign up sheet. Bokuto frowned. There wasn't much room left on there at all. Oikawa spun the pen in his hands, turning back to look at Akaashi. "Oh, I'm so sorry! Were you going to sign up as well?" Oikawa tucked the pen behind his ear, turning so that he was leaning casually against the wall. Bokuto thought it didn't look all that comfortable. "My step brother and I have starred in all the school's productions, and we just love having newcomers! There are just so many supporting roles, I'm sure we could find something for…" Oikawa gave Akaashi a once-over, "Bokuto's new friend."

Bokuto grinned. Akaashi was definitely his new friend! He turned to smile at him, then noticed the tight look around Akaashi's eyes. Was he not happy? Did he not want to be his friend?

"No, sorry, we were just looking at the bulletin boards. There's quite a lot going on at this school." Akaashi's gaze drifted from Oikawa to the board, eyeing the signature. He looked back to Oikawa, who stiffened. "Nice penmanship." Oikawa's smile turned into a grimace, but Akaashi was already moving on down the hallway. Bokuto watched him go, a little impressed. He wasn't quite sure what had happened, but usually it was only Kuroo that could get a look like that out of Oikawa. He was definitely impressed.

"So! Bokuto." 

Bokuto looked back to Oikawa, who was now leaning more in his direction. "I missed you over vacation. What'd you do?"

Bokuto shrugged. "The usual. Uh, played some volleyball, snowboarding…" Met the coolest person ever and sang karaoke with him and then bought him hot chocolate with extra whipped cream. "More volleyball."

Oikawa smiled at him. "When's the big game?"

"Two weeks!" Bokuto answered. He knew that one!

"Wow," Oikawa shook his head, then set a hand on Bokuto's shoulder. "You are so dedicated, Koutarou. Just like me!" Oikawa smiled, and Bokuto laughed awkwardly, pulling away. "I hope you come watch me in the musical! You promise to cheer for me?"

"Uh, sure?" Bokuto took a few steps back. He'd probably have volleyball, but that was a good excuse to skip, right? Not that he wanted to skip out on Oikawa. But he could be a bit...odd? Kuroo always called him a brown-noser and a sleaze, whatever that meant. 

Oikawa waved his fingers. "Toodles!"

Bokuto cocked his head. "Uh, toodles!" He turned and headed down the nearest hallway without even knowing if he was going in the right direction. He missed the way Oikawa's smile turned into a glare, directing the look down the hall Akaashi had gone. He missed the confused look Kuroo gave him in their next class together, and he missed the last question on his math test. Well, that one was probably a given.

What was important, however, was that Akaashi was in his school. Bokuto definitely wouldn't miss him again.

**Author's Note:**

> we're on tumblr at teamswipsy :D


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